Crofton weed is growing out of control particularly in the southern mountains of the World Heritage Listed Lord Howe Island. As you can see from the image above, and here again below, the weeds are thriving on the cliffsides.

This threatens a number of native species, including the critically endangered twiner Calystegia affinis (pictured below).

This was a fascinating story to research and write, and I couldn’t have done it without the wonderful input from lead researcher Dr Louise Morin (CSIRO) and Sue Bower (Flora Management Officer with the Lord Howe Island Board).

Hopefully next time I’ll get the chance to go on location – though by the look of some of those cliffs, I’ll have to do some serious training first!